Dictionary and educational game



April 22, 1930.

E. B. WARING DICTIONARY AND EDUCATIONAL GAME Filed Dec. 14, 1927 'l Hill? Il l a A l* Win,

me WM ii/man I hand hat lIZTHEL B.

WARING I il y her aorneys Patented Apr. 22, l1930 .A I I 1,?

f STATES. PATENT omer;

i ET'HELIB. NEW YORK l if '-nICTIoNIARY AND` EDUCATIONAL GAMEY 'i `f:APP.Imation filed Deceinbel. 14, 1927. Serial No. 239,870.

Y Myinvention relates;todictionariespartc. bearing a letter, a consonant, and itsl dehnif ularly adaptable tol kuse by young children of tions; v Y f v primary school age, though it canl also be ern-' Fig. 5 shows a number of' similarj cards bodied in dictionaries 'for adults. Part ofy bearing a letter, a vowehand itsdenition; y my invention relatesalsoto educational game Fig. 6 shows a number of similar cards L:

and dictionaryjnaterial of the loose leaf file bearing an action Word (a Verb) and defitype. y v f I nition,the face of one of the cards 2 being Gne purpose of my invention is to provide ypartly broken away 5` Y c ay dictionary7 lroinwhicha user not skilled in l ,prefer lto embody my inventonu'm the, y 10 reading canjnd the meaning of an unfamiliar formof a loose leaf tile, havingl a set of cards 6o Word or other literary syinbol7 defined by l, which I `prefer to secure removably inthe means. of)picturesv orfthe like. 10.08, leaf file, and. a' set of cards 2., which I Anothefpurpose is to. 4provide a dictionary prefer not to fasten into the file, but toplace and edu'cationalgame deyicej which may at loosely# between the cards l, Each `card l first contanwolly a. few Words, butfwhich'inay bears Ya vliterary symbol, 8, that is to sayy a let 65 beenlarged the childfor his teacher, asghis ter, syllable, Word, phrase, sentenceI or the reading vocabulary grows. l like. Each,y @Md l also. bears a dentonl furtherpurposeis to, provide a diction.-k othertjhan literaryl, of the literary symbol,`

ary which Will be convenient, for youngchilthat isto'say, thedefintion may be an outline,

. V2o dren,v to handle, and 'reasonablystable but at apicture, digit, block of color or other indi-, ,7e-

theysalne timel Will'contain parts bearing the cationorseyeral of such indications. Words and definitions, which parts may be re- Each card 2 bea-rs a duplicate 30 of part'or moved from the more stable' part of the dic.- all of the literary symbol and a `duplica-te,40 of tionary and carried by the child t0 theblackpartl or all of thedenition other than liter- 2'5 board` or tofhis CleSk to serve as a copy orfhis ary, borne by one of the cards l.

Writing ora verication o f v'vordsinl his readl place both the literary symbol and its inof- Qojok; i definition onthesarne faceo'f each card-of one 'f urther'purpose is tfozfamiliarize the child set; in they drawings have shown then'if so Witlrthe 'contents of the dictionary by en. placedontheset of cards markedV1,l Onthe 3o ablng-hini to playv garnescwthit, but tQ'pro-k -otherfset of cards I prefer to vplace each liter-- so videi'arts f itin duplicate, sothatone'coni-` arySyIIilbol on the ,tace and itsy defmtonon pletes words andde'init' ionsl comprising the back, as shown inthe cards marked 2, y the diction-ary at a given 'time may remain The cards may be vfiled in any suitable con- Colstantly secure/din the 100s@ leaf file.. This taner ,suchYV as the box drawer gfandf one Set 0f arrangement als makes oneldfictiolnary Wtha cards 'may be removablyretained therein by 85 duplicate 'sett nibards available to a, large any suitable means such as a rod 6 adapted numberv ot childrensimnltaneonsly. y to bethreadd through a hole the front-,wall le the. ia@ renewing 1 dr ings whicll 0f bex, through holes 7 in the cards, andv forni, part .ofthe s ci' cati 1 screwednto the rear Wall. Qfthabox. there 40 ilglngtra'tetyp'eali shownjthe Ca Sal adapt t be ,SQ re ,ed 9G a,persia` te; inthe ile-and ...ecards beflt. leaf 'fffelflery embed ing 1.1155' :intenvv loose'f battre, .th; `,arde I., atento le tion; Y all the. cards alphabe .lly gint Fig.. 2 rl'lnstijateejtwo.. Cards: f" w' guide, .cards Sma'y beaddedtofthele l tion;A ,",lhe lign els'liow the face o fgcarl 1 and y* d, but-,ehemlL c removably retained in the ille 1s about seven 1 9@ sevenv by four Vinches or about six by three inches. I also prefer to round the top corners of the loose cards, as a means of indicating to the child which is the top and which is the bottom of the matter borne thereon. However, both the size and the shape of the cards are optional.

Figure 1 shows a filing box 5 containing two sets of cards, some cards being separated, so that the cards 1 of the firstset bearing the words 3 cat. and .cow respectively and their respective pictorial definitions 4f, and also an index guide card 8, show plainly. The face of a card 2 of thesecond set bearing the word 30, dog `is shown in the act of being removed freiner replaced in the file, and'both Y literary, upon the card, lie will `face andback of another card 2 entirely removed Vfrom the file, is shown. This card 2 bears onits face the literary symbol 30, being Vjthe word cat in type and in script. VOn 'its back it bears the deiinition other than literary L10, that is, the picture of a cat.

Inusing my invention the child, on meeting van unfamiliar word'in his reading or in his educational games, may look through the cards fastened in the dictionary file until he finds the same word. Then frcnithe accompanying picture, or other definition other than Y perceive the meaning vof the word. Y

lVhenY a young child with small reading vocabulary and unfamiliar withthe alphabet begins to use my invention, the dictionary may contain only the few words which he is encountering in his reading. These will usually be few enough so that he can, without fatigue, look at each card in the file in order to find the one he desires.V

` At such early stages'of learning one ofthe advantages of the loose cards is, that when the cliildhasfound the word he is looking for, he Acan take it 4to his seat or blackboard or chart to'verify his reading, or to serve as a copy for his writing. y lt is useful to have the literary symbol appear on these cards both inprinted type and'in handwriting copy, but the use of either or both foi-ins is optional.

j' Additional cards may be added to the dictionary either by the childor by the parent or Jteacher,according to the immediate aim Letting the child himself add new1 cards to the dictionary as he learns their contents helps to impress upon his iniiid the new words, and

` to increase his interest in and'understanding of a dictionary7 and of alphabeticalsequence.

' Foiyexainple,v assuming that the child uses in hisj reading ,somel words which stand for the naines of animals, and is about to use more" .,A the" alphabetical guide card bearing the initial leiter-of each word and to secure each card 1 before its proper guide card.V Or an educational game may be made of the filing. These cards 1 may be divided among several children each of whom may take turns at finding the proper guide card behind which to place his card 1.

In the earlier use of the dictionary, or'in introducing entirely unfamiliar words, some users may prefer to have the teacher or parent add the cards-lto -the file, and to allow the child to learnV theiiia'ture of the dictionary or the Vnieaiiingrof the` new word by giving him the corresponding cards 2 to iile. The young child may iile the cards V2 entirely by comparing the picture or other definition on the back of each card'Q with that on the face of the corrcspondingfcard"1while the, older child may file the cardsthrough his knowledge of lettersof the alphabet.

l Either before or after adding a group of cards 1to the file the children may be familiarized withthe contents ofthe card by educational games with the cards 2. For example, with agroup of animalword cards 'such as mentioned'above, a group of children may pile all the cards in the center of the table with the picture side down, words side up. Each child in turn may draw acard and read the word. Then he may turn it over and tell by the picture whether he has read it correctly. If he is right he may keep the card; if *wrongV he must returnit, picture side down, to the bottom of the pile.` 'lVhen all the cards have been drawn and correctlyread, the child having the greatest number has won the game. Obviously one child alone can use the cards in a similar manner. To injectthe element of competition into the play of a solitary child, he may time hiniself byineans ofl a stop watchl or a miniature hour glass, for example, to'see how quickly be can correctly read all the cards. Each card 2 may then be placed in the file in front of or behindjits corresponding card 1, as may be preferred. i

In the case of literary symbols Whose definitions-are somewhat abstract,'it may be considered desirable to add tothe cards iii addition tothe definition other than literary,` a literary example. This however is optional. In Figures 4 and 5, for example, which illustrate cards bearing letters of the alphabet and their deiininitions," the definition vother than literary is supplied by picturing a seriesof articles the naine Vof each of which contains the `letter' being defined. The cards may, as in Fig. 4, bear only the letter tobe delined, and the pictorial definition. order p to` impress simultaneouslyv Vand more {ir-inlyupon the mind of thechild the literary symbol `and its sound, the written or printed naines ofthe picturedarticles maybe addedwas illustrative examples. `Asfstated above' this addition-is'- optional. If desireob;` te? 1ltfiibeea defined; eier be rrietedfn Or, in

ies

the identical literary symbol as its corresponding card l, but bears only a part of the complete definition other than literary borne by the card 1.

Anfeducational social game Which can be played with groups of cards 2 of related significance, such as those shown in Figs. 4 and 5, is as follows. Cards 2 defining a number of letters, diagraphs and/or diphthongs, in-

cluding several cards bearing each symbol, may be selected from the dictionary and dealt among the players. The first player lays down a picture of ai horse, for example, andV says Match minet. Another playerl places Aa picture of a hat' upon it, and claims a Cil match. Then each player turns his card over and verifies the fact that each Word begins `with the same letter, and that the match has match shall be yof the first sound, the end sound or the middle sound of the Words.

It Will be obvious that the compiler of a dictionary according to my invention Will be almost unlimited in subject matter.

It Will ralso be apparent to those skilled in r4the art that innumerable educational and than literary borne by saidcard of the first named set. v

2. A loose leaf dictionary file comprising a set of cards bearingr literary symbols and definitions other than literary and'adapted to bel-removably retained in the file, in combinatigin with a set of lose cards, each loose card bearing thesame literary symbol and definition as one of the cards of the first named set.

3. A loose leaf'dictionary file comprising a set of cards bearing on one face literary symb'jls and definitions other thanliterary, and adapted to be `removably retained inzgthe'file,

- n'combnation with a set of cards adapted to be placed loosely in said fi'le,jea ch card of'said second set beariiigon vits face the same litersymbol as. one of the cards'o'f thefirst named set andren its back a definitionother than literaryfborne, by said, 'card' of the eirs'yr 'named set. g

4;. A loose leafdict-ionary file comprising a 'set'jof cards bearing literary symbols definitions) 'other' thani literary in combination with a second' set yof cards, .each vcard of the second set bearing a symbol' and a definition other than literary borne" by. one `vof, the cards ofthe firstA named set, the'pc'ards of lthetwo sets'being interspersed.

l '5. A'ioose leaf `dictionary file comprising. a set ofcards bearing on one'face literary symbols and definitions lother than liteiary, and adapted Yto b e removably retained in the fiflje, in combinationl with a second set of 'cards adapted to be placed loosely in said file,A each card of said second set bearing o n its face a literary'syinbol', and on its backV a definition, borne. by one. of the cardsof the first named set, the'cards of the second set being interspersed among the cards of the first set. 6. A loose leaf dictionary file comprising a set of cards bearing literary symbols and definitions other than literary in co-mbination With a second set of cards, each of the second set bearing on its face the same literary symbol as one of the cards of the first named set and on its back a definitionother than literary borne by said card of the first named set, the cards of one set'being of a different size and contour from those of the other set. y

n 7. A loose leaf dictionary file comprising cards adapted to be removably secured in said file and bearing a literary symbol and a definition thereof, other than literary, in combination With loose cards adapted to be filed between said first named cards, each loose card having on is face a literary symbol similar to that upon one of the first named cards and upon its back a definition, other than lit.- erary, appearing upon said first named card,

8. An educational device in the form of a card file comprising a series of cards adapted to be fastened in alphabetic order into said device, each card bearing onits face a literary symbol and a definit-ion other than literary, in combination with a second set of cards adapted to be filed between said `first named cards, each card of the second set bearing on its face a literary symbol similar to that upon one of the first named cards, and upon its back a definition, other than literary, appearing upon said first named card, said symbols beingr such that the cards of the second set are ca pable of assembly into groups of related significance for game purposes.

9. In an educational game, a set of cards comprising groups of relatedsubject matter, each card having on its face afliterary symbol and on its back Ya denition'of said symbol ifo other than literary, in combination with a loose-leaf alphabeticalfle to receive said cards, and a. series of cards secured in alphabet-ical order Vin said file, each card of said secured series bearing upon its face a literj ary symbol and a definition other than literary appearing upon the face and back respectively ofone of the rst named setof cards.

10. In a loose leaf dictionary file, a set of cards Yremovably 4secured in said file, each card `bearingon its face a literary term and a definitionV other ,than literary, in' combinatio with a set of loose cards filed between lsaid Secured cards, each loosecard bearing on its face a single literary term borne by one of the secured cards, and on its back the same definitionl other than literary borne by said secured card, certain of the loose cards conipri'sing groups bearing literary symbols of related significance, for the purposes set forth. v v e In 'testimony Whereof have signed my name to'this specification.

ETHEL B. WARING. 

